The Vans | Gwenn Goes Local Stop #6

Some people make fun of me for calling this post’s spot “Vans” but I like nicknames, so I’m stickin’ to it.

William Vans is a newer local coffee shop in Springfield that seems to have a never ending menu and about 4 different atmospheres in once place.

Let’s have a quick honest hate real quick: I didn’t like this place at first. Sometimes I can be a socially awkward person, well mostly all of the time, and when I couldn’t figure out how to enter the coffee shop (it isn’t that hard I promise, I just seem to make things harder than are) and also saw that they aren’t open as late as other places, I threw a little fit and decided to not come back for awhile.

And man am I happy I did.

SO. 3 things about Vans that make it a go-to stop:

ONE: At-mo-sphere. Guys, I’m all about that atmosphere- and this place has about 4 of them. With three different rooms in this coffee shop and multiple comfy spots next to a window, this place gives off a bunch of different vibes. I love being able to sit in the corner by myself in a big chair or share a table with 6 other people. Or if I need to focus and get to work, I’ll snag a little table right under an old springfield map and get cracking. All to say, I’m all about every corner of this place, and I strongly encourage y’all to be too.

TWO: Time & Care. This place has craft coffee/drinks, and you can tell through the time and care that they put into every drink. I’ve tried a few different kinds myself, but I have yet to find my favorite! With that time and care comes a huge variety in just one place. They have almost any kind of drink that you can think of, and lots of snacks to go along with it.

THREE: Shows off lovelySpringfield, IL. I love when places have themes, especially themes that incorporate antiques and collectables- & Van’s is definitely that kind of place. Van’s is actually a house that was completely uprooted and moved to the corner of 7th street, which adds so much to the character and uniqueness of the place. All around this shop has maps of springfield, pictures of downtown, and even a few pieces honoring the one and only Abe Lincoln (in Springfield?! Who knew!!). I could have been a little more awkward than normal and taken pictures of all the pieces scattered around, but I decided to keep it cool and only stand on the table I was sitting at (just kidding, I didn’t, but I did stand and take cool angled pictures, so).

So there ya have it folks. William Van’s is a wonderful place to stop and read the paper, have a good cup of coffee with an old friend, or cram for that big exam in 4 hours. And even better, it’s downtown my favorite city and has coffee- what else do you want?